SPAIN · DRUG SEIZURES
Spain’s Tax Agency, whose customs service polices the country’s ports, and the Civil Guard, a national police force, have seized 2,600 kilograms (2.6 metric tons) of cocaine hidden in coconut crates shipped from Ghana to the port of Valencia. The agency announced the seizure on Wednesday 11 November 2026 and said two people were arrested in the southern province of Almería.
The two sea containers were loaded at Tema, a port in Ghana, on 2 August and reached Valencia on 22 August. Customs officers had flagged them as high risk before inspectors opened the crates.
Key Facts
- What 2,600 kg (2.6 metric tons) of cocaine found in two sea containers from Ghana.
- Where Port of Valencia in eastern Spain; two arrests in Viator, a town in Almería province.
- How Wooden coconut crates had false bottoms with a full layer of drug packages beneath.
- Who Spain’s Tax Agency (tax and customs authority) and the Civil Guard; two people detained.
- When Announced Wednesday 11 November 2026; the ship arrived on 22 August.
How the Cocaine Was Found
The ENS (Entry Summary) unit of the Tax Agency’s customs surveillance service picked the two containers for inspection during international trade controls. Inspectors then found false bottoms in the wooden crates that carried the declared cargo of coconuts.
Under each false bottom lay a full layer of packages of the kind normally used to move cocaine, the Tax Agency said. A field test known as a narcotest confirmed that the white powder was cocaine.
Following the Shipment to Almería
After customs formalities, the containers left Valencia under surveillance and their cargo was moved onto two refrigerated trucks. The trucks drove to a warehouse in the La Juaida industrial estate in Almería, in southern Spain.
Agents watched the unloading and arrested the importer of the goods and the person in charge of unloading them, in the municipality of Viator, a town in Almería province. The Tax Agency calls both suspects presumably involved, and it has published no names or nationalities.
In Plain English
- Tax Agency: Spain’s tax authority, which also runs customs inspections at ports and airports.
- Civil Guard: one of Spain’s two national police forces, with a role in organised crime and borders.
- Narcotest: a quick chemical field test that shows whether a powder contains a drug.
What It Means for You
Ghana appears in the Spanish statement only as the place the shipment left from, and the statement accuses no Ghanaian company or official. Our earlier reports follow Ghana’s own cocaine cases, including the test facing the Narcotics Control Commission, Ghana’s drug agency and a planned visit by a team from Lebanon to Accra over a cocaine bust.
For importers of fresh produce, the case shows that customs services in Spain select containers for inspection by risk profile. Readers following Ghana news will want to watch whether Spanish and Ghanaian investigators share information on the shipment.
What Is Not Known
The Tax Agency has not published a street value, the nationalities of the two suspects or the name of the ship. It also does not say who owned the cocaine or where it was packed.
The statement names no wider network, no court and no judge, and it does not say whether Ghanaian authorities helped the investigation. Whether the two suspects will face charges, and before which court, has not been announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cocaine did Spain seize at Valencia?
Spain’s Tax Agency says it seized 2,600 kilograms, about 2.6 metric tons, from two containers. The shipment came from the port of Tema in Ghana.
How was the cocaine hidden?
It lay in a full layer of packages under false bottoms in wooden crates that carried coconuts. A narcotest field test confirmed that the powder was cocaine.
Who was arrested?
Two people were detained in Viator, in Almería province: the importer and the person in charge of unloading. They are presumed involved and have not been convicted.
Is Ghana accused of involvement?
The Spanish statement names Ghana only as the origin of the shipment and accuses no Ghanaian body. Where the drugs were packed is not stated.
Sources: Spain’s Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria), press release “Intervenidos 2.600 kilos de cocaína en el puerto de Valencia”, 11 November 2026: https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/notas-prensa/notas-prensa/2026/noviembre/11/intervenidos-2_600-kilos-cocaina-puerto-valencia.html
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